The Continental Affair by Christine Mangan

 

The Continental Affair by Christine Mangan.

Published 3rd August 2023 by Bedford Square.

From the cover of the book:

Meet Henri and Louise.

Two strangers, travelling alone, on the train from Belgrade to Istanbul.

Except this isn't the first time they have met.

It's the 1960s, and Louise is running.

From her past in England, from the owners of the money she has stolen―and from Henri, the person who has been sent to collect it.

Across the Continent―from Granada to Paris, from Belgrade to Istanbul―Henri follows.

He’s desperate to leave behind his own troubles and the memories of his past life as a gendarme in Algeria.

But Henri soon realises that Louise is no ordinary traveller.

As the train hurtles toward its final destination, Henri and Louise must decide what the future will hold―and whether it involves one another.

Stylish and atmospheric, The Continental Affair takes you on an unforgettable journey through the twisty, glamorous world of 1960s Europe.

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1960s, continental Europe. Two people meet on a train heading from Belgrade to Istanbul. They seem to be strangers, but they have shared the most intense of experiences. A gulf of secrets divides them, and by the time they reach their destination, hard decisions are going to have to be made about their future.

The Continental Affair by Christine Mangan is a quirky combination of classic noir crime caper; gritty domestic drama; and melancholic romance; that pulls you into a story that thrums with the smoky glamour of a 1960's cinematic adventure.

The story follows two central characters: Louise, a young woman from England, who has fled her responsibilities, becoming accidentally embroiled in the dark deeds of European organised crime; and Henri, a former gendarme from Algeria, who has fallen in with the Spanish underworld. You meet Louise and Henri as they share a compartment on a train travelling to Istanbul, where they skirt around the events that have brought them together in the guise of strangers... and yet, a lot has happened before this moment.

As the train heads towards its destination, Mangan gradually reveals their closely guarded secrets, cutting between their recollections of the sins they wish to leave behind in England and Algeria, and the gangland money mishap that has brought Henri to follow Louise across the Continent. Suspense builds gradually, until their storylines come crashing together one fateful night in Belgrade, and you suddenly realise how intense their relationship is underneath the stilted conversations they have been engaging in. 

The facade eventually cracks when Henri and Louise reach Istanbul, and the story burgeons into chase across the city, as the are pursued by a shady figure who has been watching them both for some time - leading to an intriguing make-or-break climax that has you on the edge of your seat. For me, this is where Henri and Louise's bitter-sweet story should end. However, Mangan follows this with an epilogue which, although like a charming tale in itself, seems disjointed given the feel of the rest of the story. I must admit that I did not care for it as an ending, as it bursts the seductive bubble that she has created in everything that has gone before, and distracts from what could have been a pitch-perfect, delightfully noir, denouement.

Nonetheless, Mangan's writing is superb, and there are lovely elements to this novel that hold you fast. She does an incredible job working atmosphere into every scene, especially when it comes to the tension and faded glamour of the rail journey, and the sights, sounds, tastes and smells of exotic locations. There are delicious literary references throughout too - my favourite being the mentions of Agatha Christie, even if this story is far from Christie's brand of whodunit. It is the kind of novel that lingers in your imagination, and the way Mangan explores alienation, guilt, and desperate yearning is really very impressive. 

Highly recommended if you like a smouldering kind of novel, with a touch of a fever dream about it, that evokes time and place beautifully. I leave you to make up your own minds about the ending...

The Continental Affair is available to buy now in hardcover, ebook and audio formats.

Thank you to Bedford Square and Ed PR for sending me a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

About the author:

Christine Mangan is the author of the national bestsellers Tangerine and Palace of the Drowned. She has her Ph.D. in English from University College Dublin, with a focus on 18th-century Gothic literature, and an MFA in fiction writing from the University of Southern Maine. She lives in Detroit.